An overhead door of the type, according to the present invention, is known from German 3 726 699 Al. During the transition from the closed state to the open state and vice versa, the panels of such a door, especially a sectional door, which are articulated to one another along the direction the door moves in, travel along a curved track between a more or less vertical and straight section that accommodates the open door and a more or less horizontal section that accommodates the open door. The panels are for this purpose articulated together with hinges with an axis that extends along the interior surface of the door, the surface of the door, that is, that faces the space inside the building or other structure to be closed off with the door. Gaps can appear between adjacent panels in the tilted position that occurs while they are traveling through the curved section of the track. Fingers could be inserted into these gaps by accident or due to improper handling of the door by hand. To prevent such gaps, the facing edges of adjacent panels are curved in cross-section more or less in the arc of a circle with its center more or less on the axis of the hinge. There is a gap between each pair of facing curved edges that extends uninterruptedly between the outside and the inside of the door, ignoring any specially provided elastic sealing strips. An articulation between the adjacent panels that incorporates this gap is ensured by the use of appropriate hinges which must be precisely positioned because of the sealing strip. This requirement is difficult to comply with when establishing the hinges between the panels.
This state of the art in contrast to such other known designs as those disclosed in French Patent 1 310 605 and German GM 8 800 956, has shoulders adjacent to the convex and concave surfaces that engage each other when the door is in the closed state. The shoulders turn the gap into some-what of a labyrinth seal, and prevent the panels from shifting perpendicular to the plane of the closed door, when blown by the wind, for example, the shoulders also provide an appropriate surface for the wings of the hinges, which are better proportioned, to rest against.
The object of the present invention is to provide an overhead door of the aforesaid type whereby the adjacent panels can be simply, precisely, and more tightly secured together.